2010 Open Enrollment Period and Benefits Fair

Paula Varnes Fussell, Vice President for Human Resource Services

This year’s benefits Open Enrollment period for UF employees will kick off Monday, September 27, at 8 a.m. and end on Friday, October 22, at 6 p.m. EST. Open Enrollment is the only period during the year in which changes to pre-tax benefits can be freely made without experiencing a qualifying event (e.g., change in marital status, birth/adoption, leave of absence, change in FTE, etc.). Any changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2011.

The annual Benefits Fair is scheduled for October 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Touchdown Terrace of the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Vendors will be available to answer questions about a variety of benefits and retirement plans. There also will be food and opportunities to win prizes!

A number of significant changes are occurring for the 2011 plan year, including:

• A reduction in basic state life coverage to $25,000 for all employees;
• Added optional state life coverage available for employee purchase, plus a onetime guarantee issue for coverage at one times an employee’s salary with some limitations based on existing coverage;
• A one-time guarantee issue of up to $300,000 supplemental life coverage offered by Lincoln Financial/UF Term Life—another option to supplement the basic state life plan;
• A rate increase on employer and part-time employee health premiums;
• Adjusted co-pays for some health services and prescriptions;
• A new Medical Reimbursement Debit Card;
• Over-the-counter medication reimbursement changes;
• A PPO mail-order prescription requirement after three retail pharmacy refills;
• Prescription coverage for smoking cessation medications;
• Expanded eligibility covering dependents through age 26 on the family health plan;
• Mammograms covered under the PPO as preventive care;
• Elimination of the PPO $2 million dollar coverage limit and pre-existing condition limitation for dependents under age 19;
• Vista HMO and Philadelphia American name change;
• A rate increase for some dental and supplemental plans;
• An increased Long Term Disability benefit up to $12,000/month based on salary;  employees compensated between $162,000 up to $215,000+ will have a slight premium increase;
• Elimination of older coverage options under Colonial Cancer & Intensive Care plan. Current participants will remain in grandfathered plans; however, future enrollments will be moved into new plan options with a guarantee issue.

Beginning on September 27, additional information on state plan changes, brochures, etc. will be available on the PeopleFirst web site at https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com/logon.htm and the state of Florida’s myBenefits web site at http://www.myflorida.com/MyBenefits/Health/Health.htm

Requests for printed brochures can be ordered online via the PeopleFirst web site or by calling 1-866-663-4735. Be sure to allow for mailing time when ordering. Brochures can also be picked up from vendors at the annual Benefits Fair.

Brochures for UF supplemental plans will be available on the UF benefits Open Enrollment section of HRS’s web site at http://www.hr.ufl.edu/benefits/openenrollment.

In addition to this communication, the Open Enrollment web site, and the monthly HRS InfoGator, we will be communicating to employees via the following venues:

1. Posters – distributed throughout key areas of campus
2. myUFL portal splash page in mid-October
3. UF paycheck e-mail notification
4. Inside UF and UF home page
5. Staff News pagelet on the myUFL portal
6. UF HRS home page/special section
7. Open Enrollment information sessions
8. UF marquees
9. WUFT-FM
10. HR Forum – July, August, September, and October
11. All-employee e-mail in September

Employees may visit http://www.hr.ufl.edu/benefits/openenrollment for more details on how to enroll, 2011 plan changes, Open Enrollment information session details, and important mailings and dates. Employees may also stop by the University Benefits office at 903 W. University Avenue or a Human Resource Services satellite office, or contact University Benefits at benefits@ufl.edu or (352) 392-2477 with any additional questions.